Improvement in printing-presses



L. FI R MA.

Printing-Presses.

Patevntedlan. 13, 1874.

ITNrrED STATES JOsErH L. EIEM,.OE NEW YORK,

PATEN,

IMPROVEMENT IN PRINTINGPRESSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 146,44! dated January 13, 1874;application filed October 9, 1873..

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, JOSEPH L; FIRM, of New York city, in the State of New York, have inform, (on a traveling-bed,) of a curved form and auxiliary impression-cylinder, the whole so arranged and operating together that the sheet fed into the machine will be first printed on one side, during its passage between the y curved form and auxiliary impression-cylinder, and then pass directly onto the main iinpression-cylinder, in such a position as to travel with it in contact with the usual i'lat form, and

l have its other side printed, slip-sheets being properly introduced between the said impression-cylinder and first printed side of the sheet, to avoid any set-off, all as will be hereinafter more fully described. And `my invention further consists in feeding the slipsheets used on the impression cylinder directly to the gripers, instead of passing them first between carrying-tapes, whereby all liability of creasing and crinkling the slip-sheets is avoided, as will be hereinafter .more particularly described. And my invention further consists in taking the slip-sheets away from the cylinder, by means of gripers, in lieu of leading them oit' by carrying-tapes, whereby the removal of the slip-sheets may be effected at different times, relatively to the rotations of the cylinder, as will be hereinafter described, and less wear and tear of the slip-sheets occur.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to more fully explain the several features of my improvements, their construction, and mode of operation thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown,

I invertical longitudinal section at Figure l, and

in top view at Fig. 2, so much of a printingpress as is necessary to fully illustrate my invention.

A represents the usual form-bed, and B the impression-cylinder, of a printing-press, said cylinder and bed having the usual rotary and reciprocatory motions, respectively, and the latter carrying the` ordinary flat form a. Some distance above the bed A, and adjacent to the impression-cylinder B, are arranged, as shown, Y close together, two cylinders, C and D, the first i named of which carries a curved form, c, while the latter is adapted to act in conjunction therewith as an impression-cylinder. `E is the feedboard, from which the sheets of paper e to be printed are fed into the impression and form cylinders D C, one of which, D, is provided. with gripers d, such as are usually employed to take hold of the edge of the sheet fed to them and carry it along with the cylinder. 'F is the slip-sheet feed-board, from which the slip-sheets f are fed to the impression-cylinder B. This cylinder is provided with the usual gripers g, and the slip-sheetsf are fed directly from the board F to these gripers, in lieu of first passing along between carrying-tapes. H H represent the tapes, which serve to hold the slip-sheets onto the face of the cylinder B until they are taken oft' by the gripers t' of a gripercylinder, I, over which and a. drum, J, pass auxiliary endless bands or tapes b, onto which the removed slip-sheets are passed, and from whence they are taken oil on the fly K. The tapes H are carried around out of the way, and over and under the drums 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, J, I, 6, and 7, in the manner illustrated clearly in Fig. l. M N are two drums, carrying the bands o, onto which the printed sheet is carried, and from whence it is removed, in the usual manner, by a fly, I.

With the foregoing description of vthe several parts, their offices and arrangement together, the following brief explanation will suffice to give a clear idea of the mode of operation of a machine constructed upon my improved plan. The sheet of paper e, being fed to( the gripers d of the impression-cylinders D, as the latter rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow thereon, is carried round with said cylinder, and in contact with the curved form c of type-,cylinder G, and is printed .Y

on one side. While this operation of printing` K it from the cylinder D to B, with its printed surface in contact with the slip-sheet, to preventany offset, there being, as seen, two sets of gripers on the main cylinder B, so that one set may hold and carry around the slip-sheet two or more times, irrespective of the action of the other set. rEhe sheet e now passes along in contact with the ilat form c, by which its other side is printed in the usual way, and thence between the tapes I-I and the periphery of drum M, downward onto the bands 0,1"rom whence it is removed in the usual 1n anuer, and printed 011 both sides, by the ily I). As the printed sheet e passes over the druinM it parts company with the slip-sheet f, which latter travels on with the impression-cylinder B, until it is taken therefrom `by the'gripers i of the gripercylinder I, when it is carried along on top of the tapes Z1, and from them taken oft' by the fly K.

It will be. understood that by a suitable means for regulating` the operation` of the mechanism actuating the gripers, the machine may be set to either have the gripers' remove the slipsheet during its first passage round with the impression-cylinder B, or to have them only operate after the slip-sheet shall have travelled round two or more times.

When it is remembered that the slip-sheet can just as well,'with most kinds of work, be permitted to travel more than once, and that thereby the feeding of the slip-sheet is reduced.

to such slow work that it can be done by a slow hand, the advantage of thus permitting the slip-sheet to pass on round more than once,

the imprcssion-cylinder, is that the sheets are not so much mutilated, and so soon rendered unfit for use, as when carried off and discharged by tapes passing over drums in the necessary manner.

It will be seen that by feeding the slip-sheets from the stack or table directly to the gripers of the impressioncylinder, the sheet will be laid smooth and taut on the periphery of the cylinder, because it is drawn under some ten sion from the hands of the feeder by the gripers, while in the feeding in of the sheets by tapes prior to the take-hold of the gripers the .sheet is liable to get creased and crinkled in the tapes, and will remain so to the'great detriment of the work being done over it, and to the early destruction of the slip-sheet itself.

Having so fully explained the construction and operation of the vseveral parts of my invention that those skilled in the art of building and using prii'iting-presses can readily make and use my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

l. The combination, with an impression-cylinder and reciprocating form, of an auxiliary impression-cylinder and a curved form, the whole operating together to print both sides ofthe sheet during its passage through the machine, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with the main impressioncylinder, provided with the usual gripers, an auxiliary set of gripers, to gripe the slip sheets fed directly from thelslip-sheet feedtable, substantially as describcd.-

3. The combination, with thev impressioncylinder, onto which both the blanks and slipsheets are fed, of a means for taking oft' the printed sheets, and a griper-cylinder for taking off theslip-sheets after they have passed two or more times around, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 13th day of August, 1873.

JOSEPH L. FIRM. [L.

In presence of- GEO. A. GnnnNswARD, JACOB FELBEL. 

